


Do What You Must

by theimpossiblegeekygrrl



Category: The OA (TV)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Haircuts, Lies, Mental Anguish, Retribution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-12 14:23:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11738865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theimpossiblegeekygrrl/pseuds/theimpossiblegeekygrrl
Summary: Hap looks down at her, catching the blue in her eyes as she looks away. He puts on his purple gloves, careful not to get any of the sticky sap on his skin, and takes the sticky braid in his hand. Once, he’d hoped to caress this beautiful skein of silk with his bare hands. But all chances of that were over now.





	Do What You Must

Prairie watches him as he descends the stairs, just as though it was any other day. Hap is still favouring his ribs, his step only just noticeably affected by his pain. It makes the others laugh, especially due to the length of time it has taken for his wounds to heal from his ‘accident’. If she could muster a laugh in his presence she would, but she does not want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her smile, even if it’s from his own expense.

She averts her eyes when he reaches the floor, taking on her former appearance of a blind woman. Over the long weeks, she has relearned his ways since her ‘accident’, and knows that he will come to her cell last of all, even though it’s she that he watches when he makes his rounds. She knows the second he sees her … and sees just what she has done. There is a missed step, a low curse, then rapid footfalls as he walks to the outside of her cell.

“What have you done?”  
  


* * *

  
He can’t …  
 

Prairie’s hair, her beautiful flaxen hair is --  
  


“I had an accident, when I was tending to my plant,” she says softly. “They tell me it’s bad?”  
 

Hap nods, then remembers himself and says, “Yes, it’s … what did you do?”  
  


“The sap.” She motions to her side, where the horrid thing stands tall and proud. “I didn’t know it was on the back of my hands and arms. I tried to get it out, but –“  
 

“You made it worse, didn’t you?” he sighs.  
  


Prairie nods. “Do you have anything that can fix it?”  
 

“No,” he says quietly as he opens her door. Taking her elbow, he leads her from her room, over to his work benches. There, he keeps clippers, nail files, safety razors … and a large pair of heavy silver scissors. The chair he keeps for her is comfortable, and she sits gracefully when he guides her to it. “I’ll have to cut it.”  
 

“Do what you must,” she says.  
  


Hap looks down at her, catching the blue in her eyes as she looks away. He puts on his purple gloves, careful not to get any of the sticky sap on his skin, and takes the sticky braid in his hand. Once, he’d hoped to caress this beautiful skein of silk with his bare hands. But all chances of that were over now.  
  


“Is there something else wrong?” she asks. As always, she is very still in the chair and very sure of herself when she says, “You’re looking me."  
 

“No, I’m … here’s the best place to cut,” he says quickly. He picks up the shears, and the braid is gone after several horrible cuts. Breathing is hard for him now, though he controls his anguish by coughing several times.  
  


_Damn cigarettes. They might be the end of him after all.  
_

“I’ll walk you to the sink so you can scrub your hands and arms.”  
 

“Thank you, Hap,” she says. He tries not to notice the small twist in her mouth that has nothing to do with the loss of her hair.

**Author's Note:**

> For SocietyNeedstoCrumble on Tumblr. I hope you enjoy it, hon!


End file.
